The 7-Point Entity Audit Every UK Local Business Should Run Today
The 7-Point Entity Audit Every UK Local Business Should Run Today
Before AI can send customers your way, it needs a crystal-clear picture of who you are, what you offer, and where you operate, and most local business websites fail this test spectacularly. We've built a simple audit that Air 66 clients use to close those gaps fast. If you've been wondering why your competitors keep showing up when people ask ChatGPT or Perplexity for a local recommendation and you don't, this is almost certainly why.
Why Entity Optimisation Matters Right Now
When someone asks an AI tool for the best local plumber, accountant, or café, the AI doesn't scroll through a list of websites. It pulls from businesses it already understands clearly. Most of your competitors haven't figured that out yet. That's a short window of real advantage, and it won't stay open forever.
This isn't a trend to bookmark for later. It's a structural shift in how people find businesses. The local firms that get their entity signals right now are building a level of trust with AI systems that late movers will struggle to close, because that trust develops over time, not overnight.
Here are the seven checks we run with every new client.
1. Schema Markup
This is the single biggest gap we find, by a wide margin. A business can have pages of well-written content, but without structured data telling AI what type of business it is and where it operates, that content is practically invisible to the systems that matter. Add LocalBusiness schema at minimum. Include your business type, address, phone number, opening hours, and service area. Don't leave AI guessing.
2. Explicit Service Area Signals
Most local businesses assume that proximity does the work. It doesn't. AI has no way to infer geography from vibes, only from explicit, consistently repeated signals. State your service area clearly on your homepage, your contact page, and in your schema. If you serve Manchester, Salford, and Stockport, say so in plain text, more than once.
3. Consistent NAP Data
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. Every instance of your business information across your website, Google Business Profile, directories, and social profiles needs to match exactly. A slight variation, like "St." versus "Street", creates conflicting signals that AI systems penalise. Audit every listing and make them identical.
4. A Clear, Specific Business Description
Your "About" copy should answer three questions without ambiguity: what you do, who you do it for, and where. Vague descriptions like "a passionate team dedicated to great service" tell AI nothing useful. Be specific. "We're a family-run electrical contractor serving residential and commercial clients across West Yorkshire" is something an AI can actually work with.
5. Category and Keyword Consistency
The words you use to describe your business on your website should match the categories you've selected on Google Business Profile and the language used in your directory listings. Inconsistency across these touchpoints creates noise. Pick your primary business category and use consistent language everywhere.
6. Review Language Alignment
This one surprises almost every client we work with. Most business owners think reviews just help with star ratings. In reality, AI cross-references the language customers use in reviews to validate what the business itself is claiming. If you say you're a specialist kitchen fitter but your reviews talk about general building work, that's a misalignment AI will notice. Encourage customers to be specific in their reviews. A prompt as simple as "mention the service you had done and where you're based" makes a genuine difference.
7. Entity Mentions Across the Web
AI builds its understanding of a business from multiple sources, not just your own website. Local news mentions, industry directories, partnerships with other organisations, and guest articles all contribute to a richer entity profile. Check where your business is mentioned online and whether those mentions are accurate and consistent. Even a handful of strong, relevant external references can significantly strengthen your entity signals.
How to Use This Audit
Work through each of the seven points and score yourself honestly: in good shape, needs attention, or not done at all. Most businesses we audit have gaps in at least four of the seven. The good news is that the fixes are practical and don't require a complete website rebuild.
Start with schema markup and service area signals. Those two alone move the needle faster than anything else. Then work through the rest in order of effort required.
Ready to Close the Gaps?
At Air 66, we run this audit as part of our local SEO and digital marketing work, and we know exactly which fixes deliver results and in what order. If you'd like us to run through your site and give you a straight assessment, get in touch with the Air 66 team today. We'll tell you where you stand and what to do about it.